HYUNDAI NEXO, SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Not a single edge. That’s the first thing you notice when you look at the Hyundai Nexo, the new hydrogen-powered Suv from Korea. The car flows smoothly from front to rear, with no broken lines, almost as if to announce a formal purity that links the exterior design to the zero emissions of its 100% electric power unit.

There is also little to be found of the family feeling that is the hallmark of all Hyundai’s, except for the cascading grille at the front, designed according to the brand’s latest styling cues and broadened to allow more air to pass through. The front look is completed by the triangular fog lights under the headlights, the latter connected by a fine, attractive strip of leds that make the car immediately recognisable.

We had the opportunity to give the Nexo a run out in the Dolomites between Bolzano and Alta Badia. Once on board, the first impression is one of great comfort. The light colours of the seats and the bright environment, together with the total absence of noise and vibrations from the electric power unit, convey a pleasant feeling of luxury and peace. The interior layout reflects the soft lines of the exterior. In front of the driver are two LCD screens: one of 12.3″ in the centre of the dashboard and one of 7″ that acts as a digital instrument panel. Both are high-resolution and intuitive to use. The absence of a gear lever has made it possible to integrate a suspended centre console, perhaps a little dated style-wise, given the presence of numerous plastic buttons, but handy for storing objects and bags.

The choice of materials used for the interior is based on the idea of sustainability. The surfaces are covered with materials certified by the independent organisation Underwriters Laboratories. The seat covers are in eco-leather and sustainable fabrics, the mats are made of ecological fibres derived from sugar cane. A product with great technological content and pleasant to drive that does, however, come up against the serious limit of the almost total absence of hydrogen distributors in Italy. At the moment the only one is in fact to be found in the city of Bolzano.